Jevons' Paradox Flashcards
Who was William Stanley Jevons (1835-1882)?
English economist and logician
Relevance of William Stanley Jevons
The Coal Question; an inquiry concerning the progress of the nation and the probable exhaustion of our coal mines (1865)
What was the Jevons paradox?
Increases in energy production efficiency leads to more not less consumption.
Increasing efficiency of coal tends to augment the value of the steam engine and to enlarge the field of its operations.
Jevons covered a range of issues central to sustainability; including:
- Limits to growth
- Overpopulation
- Overshoot
- Energy return on energy input (EROI)
- Taxation of energy alternatives
- Resource peaking (-> peak oil)
How did jevons explore this paradox?
The historical development of engine technology -> great increase in the UK coal consumption was due to the efficiency (or economy) brought about by technological innovations.
Greater economy increased usage, which increased energy consumption.
Example of Jevon’s paradox (indirect)
Fuel efficient process -> Lower cost cars -> More car travel -> more energy used
Example of Jevon’s paradox (direct)
Fuel efficient process -> Lower cost steel -> more steel production -> more energy used
Whatever gain you get in a efficiency…
you match this with consumption :(
Can even get worse
Fuel efficient car direct rebound
Lower running costs -> driver further or more often -> more energy
Fuel efficient car indirect rebound
Lower petrol bills -> holiday in Spain (plane) -> more energy
What are some criticisms regarding Jevons?
Hard to measure at small scales but maybe evident at large scales
Why is Jevons relevant to climate change mitigation?
Efficiency driven responses.
Not just about peak consumption of a finite resources.
